This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Applications Nos. 2002-358762 filed on Dec. 10, 2002, 2002-358763 filed on Dec. 10, 2002, 2002-374645 filed on Dec. 25, 2002, and 2003-204774 filed on Jul. 31, 2003, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid cartridge. More particularly, the present invention relates to a liquid cartridge for supplying a liquid to a liquid ejecting apparatus on which the liquid cartridge is mounted.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an inkjet type recording apparatus, an ink cartridge containing ink supplies the ink to a recording head while being mounted onto the inkjet type recording apparatus. Here, the ink, inkjet type recording apparatus and ink cartridge are examples of the liquid, liquid ejecting apparatus and liquid cartridge, respectively.
An ink cartridge is provided, for example, with an ink accommodating section in which ink is contained, an ink supplying part for supplying ink in the ink accommodating section, into which an ink supplying needle projecting from the carriage is inserted, to a recording head, a valve member for allowing the ink accommodating section and the ink supplying part to communicate with each other based on a pressure difference between the ink accommodating section side and the recording head side and an atmospheric valve for allowing the ink containing chamber and the atmosphere to communicate with each other as disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-103643. The atmospheric valve is arranged to be capable of moving perpendicular to a direction in which the ink cartridge is mounted on to the carriage. For example, when the ink cartridge is mounted onto the carriage by being pushed inside downwardly, the atmospheric valve is arranged to be capable of moving in a horizontal direction. As the ink cartridge is mounted on the carriage, a contact member, which is a part of the carriage, is in contact with the atmospheric valve, then the atmospheric valve is moved in a horizontal direction and then the ink accommodating section communicates with the atmosphere. At this state, when the recording head consumes ink, an ink supply controlling means supplies ink to recording head from the ink accommodating section.
However, in the ink cartridge above, since the contact member of the carriage moves the atmospheric valve in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the ink cartridge is mounted, the atmospheric valve might not open because the contact member is not in contact with the atmospheric valve by the looseness of the atmosphere or the looseness of the contact member of the carriage when the ink cartridge is mounted onto the carriage. Moreover, in the ink cartridge above, the ink contained in the ink accommodating section might leak out of the ink cartridge through the communicating hole.